Jean Allen was appointed to the State Board of Education in 1993 by Governor Thomas R. Carper. She was re-appointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner in 2001 to a four-year term. In June 2005, Jean was appointed and confirmed by the State Senate as President of the State Board.
Jean is a native Delawarean who graduated from Delaware’s public schools and attended the University of Delaware where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. She has taught English at the high school level in both the Seaford and Laurel School Districts and in adult programs at Delaware Technical and Community College, Georgetown.
A member of the Seaford School Board for over ten years, she served as both President and Vice-President of the Board. She also served as co-chairperson of several district referendum committees and Vice-Chairperson of the Seaford School District Citizens Finance Committee.
Jean is a past President of the Delaware PTA where she also served as the first Vice-President and the Vice-President for Legislation for many years. She has served on a number of statewide committees and task forces including the Governor’s Task Force on Children At-Risk and the Advisory Committee on Teacher Evaluation.
Jean is a member and past President of the Seaford Branch of AAUW and served as Education Chairperson for the Delaware AAUW Board of Directors. For many years she chaired the Delaware AAUW’s project on elementary counselors. She is a member and past President of the Board of the Delaware Science and Mathematics Education Foundation.
Jean received the Thomas W. Mulrooney Award from the Delaware Personnel and Guidance Association for her work in promoting elementary counselors in schools. She has also been honored by the Delaware School Boards Association with its Distinguished Service Award for outstanding service to public education, and been awarded the Delaware PTA Life Membership Award for her work with the PTA. In 1985, the Seaford School District presented her with its Friend of Education Award.
She lives in Seaford with her husband Robert, a former member of the State Board. They have two grown children and two grandchildren.
